The Sibling Trap
by MegaChoirQueer
Summary: Both Sam and Gabriel are tired of their brothers' constant flirting (and then denying it) and have decided to conspire together to set Dean and Castiel up. But after spending so much time together, will Sam and Gabriel grow to be more than just friends? (Canon up until 8.07; Castiel never meets Naomi and he doesn't stay with Fred at the end of 8.08) R&R! Rated T for now. Fluff!
1. Unbelievable

**Hello! This is my first multi-chapter Supernatural fiction. This story takes place right after S08E08 "Hunteri Heroici", ignoring Naomi's existence and changing the fact that Castiel decided to stay with Fred at the end of the episode, and instead continued to hunt with Dean &amp; Sam. I hope you like this story, and if you do, let me know in the reviews. Thank you. Enjoy!**

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"May I ask where the pie is located?"

"It's over there, next to the bread," the cashier monotonously answered, pointing right of the tall man.

"Thank you," Sam graciously responded, slowly heading off into the given direction.

The motel wasn't that far from the gas station, so he wouldn't have too long to get out of the room. If he took too long, Dean might ask questions when he came back, though he surely wouldn't go looking for him while he was gone. Still, he wanted to take as much time as he could.

Castiel and his brother were having another one of their intense staring sessions while they were looking for a new job. Ever since the angel had dragged him out of hell, they'd engage an odd phenomenon where they'd exchange eye contact for several minutes while hardly saying anything. And if they did speak, it was always something deep or intimate. It's how they communicated.

However, that's not what bothered Sam. For the most part, he didn't care about the way Dean and Castiel interacted. What irked him was that every time Sam confronted him about it, he'd deny it. He'd tell him that he was making up things, that he was imagining it all. He said that he spoke with Cas the way he'd speak with anyone. He said that Cas was no different from anyone else he socialised with.

Sam knew that was bullshit. Even if he thought of Cas in the same way as everyone else, he sure didn't act like it. It irritated him that Dean had the nerve to say that he was making it up in his head. After the whole deal with Lucifer, he knew what hallucinations felt like. Dean and Castiel's gazes were not illusions. They were real, and after Castiel's return from purgatory, they were more real than ever.

He needed to clear his head. He used getting food as an excuse to leave and tried to savour every moment alone that he could. After losing Amelia, he wanted to get away from the hunting life as much as possible. Shopping at a gas station? That was normal, or at least more normal than sitting in a motel room with his older brother and an angel of the Lord while they "discussed" possible jobs that would involve them either killing a creature, exorcising a demon, or salting and burning a corpse. _Yeah, shopping is normal._

He saw the cherry pies and grabbed for one. He walked to the coffee station to make himself a cup and when he looked down at the pie, it was no longer pie. It was a large bag of carrots. We grabbed the carrots, leaving his cup at the coffee section, and returned to the pie section. All the pies were placed as they were when Sam left, so he grabbed a new one and placed the carrots on the rack, hoping no one else would notice. He went back to make his coffee and when he was finished he looked down at where he put the cherry pie, and it was suddenly a head of cabbage.

He knew something was wrong, so he pulled out the EMF reader he always carried in his pocket. When it received no signals, he put it back inside his jacket. He looked around suspiciously, wary of everything around him. He hated worrying about his safety every second he went out into public. Normal people just worried about robbers and muggers, at most. He was trained to be alert of demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, pagan gods and much, much more.

He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so he set the coffee cup on the counter and went back to grab a new pie. This time, he carried the pie tightly and did not take his eyes off it. He set it on the counter, next to his brew, maintaining a steady stare on it.

"Hey, man, you alright?" the young male cashier asked in response to Sam's odd behaviour.

"Yes. Hurry up," he demanded, continuing his focus on the cherry pie.

"Okay, all right," the blond man responded hesitantly. He rung up the numbers in the register. "Eight dollars and fifty-six cents."

Sam hastily grabbed his wallet out of his jacket pocket, sustaining his glare with the dessert, and pulled a ten dollar bill out, without breaking the contact with the pie. "Keep it all," he commanded.

He left, gripping the pastry container in his dominant right hand, and loosely holding his coffee with his left. He walked to the impala, opening the door with his left, and placing the pie on the passenger's seat and the coffee in the cup holder. He kept glancing over at the pie until he finally started the engine and took off down the road.

Once he stationed the vehicle into the motel's parking lot, he looked at the pie, only to find it had been transfigured into large sticks of celery.

"You have got to be _kidding_ me!" he exclaimed.

"Well, it's what I'm best at," a voice chirped from the backseat.

Sam jumped from his seat, startled, spilling the coffee over the seat. He immediately turned around to see what had spoken.

"Oh my god," he uttered in shock. He couldn't believe his eyes. Was he hallucinating this time? No. He wasn't. Yet, this couldn't be possible.

"No, no. You're not real. You can't be. You were _dead_," Sam objected, trying not to trust the sight in front of him. The shiny amber-tinted hair. The chilled hazel eyes. The subtle stubble.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. You know me better than _that_. You really think I'd let little Luci get away with that?"

"Gabriel! I can't believe this! You're, you're _alive_?" Sam cried joyously. He was overwhelmed with happiness for a moment until his thought process kicked in.

"Wait," he mandated, "prove it. How do I know you're not a shifter?"

"Who else can change a pie into a heap of disgusting vegetables?"

"Firstly, vegetables aren't disgusting. I've been eating organic foods lately, and they are very rejuvenating," Sam defended.

"Yeah, whatever," Gabriel commented, disregarding Sam's statement whilst pulling out a lollipop from thin air.

"You are _unbelievable_, you know that?" Sam said, with a mix of aggravation and admiration.

"It's my best quality," the archangel bragged with a cheeky smile.

"Well, I'm gonna need you to bring me my pie back. And clean up this mess! Dean will kill me if he finds a stain on the seat!"

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll help you," he complied with a mischievous eyebrow raise towards the hunter.

"What's the catch?" Sam droned, not wanting to work for him. These things always came with some sort of condition when it came to Gabriel. He always wanted something in return.

"I need a little help with something, and you're the only person who can do it," he told him.

"Help? With what?" Sam enquired, wanting to know more about Gabriel's task.

"We can't talk about it now. Your brother sees the car and he's coming outside. He can't see me. Not yet. Meet me at midnight, outside the gas station."

"Wait. You're dead for several years and then show up randomly asking me to help you out of the blue? Why should I trus-" Before he could finish his interrogation, Gabriel disappeared.

"Sam, who the hell are you talking to?" Dean asked, opening the driver's door to look at him.

"Umm.. no one. No one, Dean. Just myself," the younger brother answered quietly, a confused look on his face.

"You sure you ain't seeing things again? I know Cas took all your crazy in, but if he left some of it in, and you're seeing the devil on your ass, you need to tell us," Dean said.

"Dean, I'm fine!" Sam spat. "Look, just believe me, I'm fine."

"If you say so," Dean spoke, compliance in his tired voice. "Ooh! You got me exactly what I need right now," the eldest cheered with enthusiasm.

Sam turned his head to the right. He looked down, only to find a large cherry pie on a clean, unstained seat.

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**Hello, again! So, what did you think? What could Gabriel possibly want from Sam? What happened to him? Feel free to tell me your speculations. Also, please, if I made any mistakes, whether it be grammar, spelling, characterisation, etc. let me know! I will be sure to fix them and do better in the future. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for Chapter 2. Stay awesome! :D**


	2. Boredom, Brooding, and Briskness

**Hello again! I've gotten a lot of positive reviews for this story, both on here and from AO3. I'm really glad you are liking it so far. Reviews give me so much inspiration to continue a story. Thank you for all the kind words you all have said. So, I present to you, the next instalment of _The Sibling Trap_, which I forgot to mention, is loosely based off the 1998 movie, _The Parent_ _Trap_. Enjoy!**

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Five hours.

He had to endure five hours. Five hours of waiting. Five hours of boredom. Five hours of sitting and listening to his brother prate about nonsense. Five hours of listening to Castiel gloze over ancient biblical stories. Five hours of watching them do whatever that couple did. Five hours of watching the clock tick the seconds away.

He sat there, anticipating what midnight would bring. He could only imagine what Gabriel wanted him so badly for. Did he know something about Crowley? Was there a new angel gone bad? He caught his mind drifting to impossible fantasies. For a split second, he imagined that Gabriel had missed him so deeply that he wanted to get intimate, as he craved Sam's body, his flesh and his –

_What the hell? No. I'm not thinking about this. Not Gabriel. And not definitely right now!_

He snapped back into reality when his brother asked, "So, what do you think, Sammy?"

He was completely disoriented from what they were talking about so offered a small, "Mmhmm, yeah," out of his dazed confusion.

Dean rolled his eyes and continued to chat with the angel. Sam didn't pay any attention to the words they spoke, though. He was more concentrated on the thoughts that wandered across his mind.

Maybe he's go on a secret hunt without his brother and save the day. He'd be the hero for once. It was all he wanted. Recognition. Credit. Of course, he wanted more than that. He _did_ want a normal life. He _did_ want to settle down. He _did_ want to go to college. However, this was the hand he was dealt, and if he was going to be a hunter, he wanted to do it right. He wanted to quit living in his brother's shadow.

He wanted a chance to prove himself. After all his mistakes, letting Jessica get killed, drinking demon blood, raising Lucifer, being soulless for a year, helping his corrupted grandfather work with Crowley, ignoring Kevin Tran's calls, and not searching for Dean when he was in purgatory, he just wanted to do something right. He wanted to show his brother that he wasn't a mistake.

He caught himself jiggling his right leg in anticipation. He noticed himself biting his lower lip. All the physical give-aways were becoming embarrassingly obvious to him: sweaty palms, clasping hands, messing with his hair. It forced him into reality.

It was probably something terribly stupid. He knew Gabriel. He never got involved in anything serious. He probably needed some holy oil to trap an angel or something ridiculous. He knew it wouldn't be anything that could win him redemption. If anything, it'd probably make him look worse.

Yet, if it really was Gabriel, he owed it to him. Gabriel helped them put Lucifer back in the cage, even if it cost him his life (or his fake life, he didn't know yet). He said he needed help, and Sam was going to offer it to him. Besides, it'd get him out of the cheap motel where Dean and Cas spent their time "discussing new cases". He knew that was crap. They weren't really looking that hard. Dean was looking for a way to keep Cas from leaving, and Cas was looking for a reason to stay. They Googled about the Word of God and it led them to silly videos on YouTube, where Dean would say they were getting distracted, go back to research, and the cycle would repeat.

He was glad that his brother finally had a good friend in his life that lasted for longer than a month. However, Sam was always by himself anymore, and he wondered if he should have left Amelia in the first place.

As he watched the second hand spiral around the cheap motel clock, he brooded over what it would have been like to be born into a normal family. His parents would most likely be alive. He would have joined a baseball team as a child. He would have gone to prom. He would have gone to college and got his law degree. He would have settled down with a nice girl like Jess, and got married. He would have had kids by now! Yet, things could never be that way. His mother was a hunter, and her parents were too. Azazel wanted them. Not to mention that the Winchester bloodline made them perfect candidates for Michael and Lucifer. It was just _destin_y_._

Yet, he pondered about why it was his fault. Why did he deserve this? He didn't do anything wrong when he was only a baby. Why did his mother have to die because of him? And why did Jess have to suffer? Why did everyone he ever cared about, besides Dean, have to die? What was destiny's problem? Why did fate choose favourites?

His face reddened with anger when Dean spoke up, "Hey, Sammy, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dean," the younger sibling replied hastily.

"Does this got anything to do with what happened in the car earlier? Because if you're seeing or hearing things, you gotta say something," Dean patronised.

"No. I am fine, Dean. Please," the long-haired brunet told his brother.

"Yeah, okay. Well, me and Cas are gonna take Baby for a ride, we'll be back around one o'clock, 'kay?" the freckled hunter stated.

"Can, you try and be back by midnight? I gotta go somewhere," he requested honestly.

"Midnight?" Dean asked with a bitter confusion. "Sammy, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?" he enquired without understanding.

"Well, for starters, it _is_ midnight."

"Wait, it's midnight? Already?" Sam asked in a rushed panic. He was late! Would Gabriel still be there? He had to leave.

"Yeah. Why?" the older brother enquired.

"I gotta go," he mutters, looking at the clock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy there. You're not taking Baby anywhere right now. Me and Cas are going for a ride. I need you to stay here, okay?"

Sam ignored his brother and pushed Cas out of the way to get to the door. From there, he looked around and started to run.

He could have taken the impala, but he didn't feel like coming back to more explaining than he already had to do. He knew Dean would ask him where he ran off to in such a hurry. He knew he'd make some wild assumptions. But he needed to take care of whatever Gabriel wanted. If he had taken the car, Dean would have tracked him down and found Gabriel. Or worse, Gabriel would leave, and he'd see Sam talking to no one. No, Dean and Castiel could go wherever they wanted to, and Sam wouldn't stop them. He knew that if his brother was with Castiel, the angel would convince him to continue with whatever plans they originally had in mind.

He sprinted across the roads leading to the gas station. The only thing he was concerned with was the task at hand: meeting Gabriel. After all, he could have been in danger for all he knew. He had to help Gabriel, as Gabriel had helped them.

A car almost ran him over, but stopped just in time. Sam deeply wanted to apologise, but he didn't have time. He was already late, and if he made Gabriel wait any longer, he didn't want to see what the angel had in store for him.

Each bone of his wanted to turn around. Each muscle wanted to run in the opposite direction. Every part of his body felt as if he were about to jump off a cliff, yet, despite this feeling of danger, he continued to race to the gas station.

The late night crispness of the air caused a chill down his spine. His long hair bounced off his shoulders with each leap he took towards his destination.

He briefly glanced up to the cosmos and noticed how dark and starry the evening sky was. There were more stars in a suburban town than he'd seen in a long time. He pondered if Gabriel had anything to do with it, but he ultimately didn't mind. The brisk dark sensation of midnight stirred an ecstasy within himself that he couldn't understand. All he _did_ understand was that all of a sudden running no longer seemed like a chore, but, instead, like a liberation. He couldn't remember the last time he had the freedom to dash in the darkness, without being chased by something. It was invigorating.

After a few minutes, he reached his goal: the gas station. He didn't see Gabriel when he darted up to the side of the building and worried that he had already left. He stopped his movement and breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his long, dark hair.

"C'mon!" he cried with exhaustion. "Gabriel, please! I'm here!"

"Oh, goody!" the shorter figure spoke from behind him, clasping his hands together. The angel rolled his eyes, quietly muttering, "Took you long enough."

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**I know this was sort of a boring chapter, but I feel that sometimes you need to take a whole chapter and dedicate it to someone's feelings and thoughts. It's important sometimes. Well, I hope you liked it. If you did (or even if you didn't) let me know in the reviews! They make me sooo happy. I haven't gotten all the time to reply to them all, but I will! Be prepared for Chapter 3. Stay awesome! :D**


	3. The Plan

**Hey! Thank you for all the feedback you have been giving me! It makes me so happy when I read your reviews. Sorry for the lack of updates :/ I had this chapter written and wasn't going to post it upon the next chapter's completion, however some difficulties arose: I had to get eight of my teeth pulled and ever since, I've been in massive amounts of pain and can hardly even look at a computer screen, let alone write intelligently. So, please be patient. I know it's frustrating to start reading a fic and then never seeing updates, but circumstances have made it difficult to do so right now, so please try to understand. Yet, here we are. Chapter Three! Finally. I hope you enjoy it. :D**

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"Wait – you want to do _what_?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Set them up," Gabriel repeated.

"Has it occurred to you that maybe my brother is straight? That maybe he and Cas are just _friends_?" Sam asked, opposing Gabriel's suggestion.

The angel retorted, "Oh yeah. Definitely. Has it ever occurred to you that pigs fly? That maybe Brutus and Cassius were _just_ friends?"

Sam looked at him with confusion at the last remark of his. "They were historically more than friends?" Sam enquired, intrigued.

"Forget that! You know what I mean!" Gabriel snapped, stomping his foot, causing a stranger's car window to break.

"Whoa, there. Take it easy," Sam consoled, placing his right hand on the angel's shoulder. He didn't understand why Gabriel was getting so worked up over the matter, but he didn't want to cause a scene.

"Do you see how they just stare at each other like that? How they speak to the other?"

"I don't know what you mean," Sam lied, raising his shoulders in denial.

In response, Gabriel gave him a knowing look. Sam couldn't hide it from the angel. Gabriel knew exactly how Sam felt about them, and he made sure that Sam understood that he knew. And only with a look in the eyes.

He admitted in defeat, "So, _maybe_ I know what you mean." He tried to avoid the fact that Gabriel was right, but in pondering the archangel's awareness, he grew curious of his intentions. He desired to know why Gabriel cared that he knew about Dean and Castiel's interactions. "Even if I do know what you're talking about, why should I help you? Why do you even want to do this?" the hunter questioned, wanting to know more.

"To make them happy, duh!" Gabriel answered simply, as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, and what's in it for you?" Sam interrogated. He knew that these things always had some sort of a catch. Nobody dropped what they were doing just to make somebody else happy. That wasn't the way things were. That wasn't reality.

"Not much. A little fun, maybe. But nothing big," the archangel replied.

"So you're doing this out of the sheer goodness of your heart? I don't think so," the human said, aggressively sceptical of the trickster's words.

"Look," Gabriel spoke angrily, violently poking his finger onto the taller man's chest, "Cas is my baby brother. After the incident, not many of my brothers are left, so I'm gonna do my damned best to make sure he's happy, you understand?"

Sam had never thought of it that way. Sometimes he forgot that they were all siblings. He knows how much Dean cares about him, but he forgot that other people must feel the same way about their younger brothers or sisters. He knew that Dean would die for him in a heartbeat and knew that Dean wanted the best for Sam. Dean disapproved of Sam's "real world" goals, but that was because he just wanted him to be safe. And because he didn't want to be alone.

"Even if I do help out with your little scheme, what do I get out of it?" the hunter asked.

"I know why you came here earlier. You were upset. Dean was sitting there having eye sex with my brother right in front of you and won't admit it," Gabriel said, accurately pointing out Sam's peeves, "and you know that if he would, he'd be much happier."

The tall man stationed himself, thinking. "Well, before I agree to anything, there's a few things I wanna know first," Sam requested, looking into the trickster's hazel eyes.

"I'm an open book!" Gabriel stated with a small wink in Sam's direction.

"For starters, what happened the night we thought you died?" Sam queried, slightly tilting his head.

"My death was another illusion. It's not that hard to conjure up another death scene, ya know?" the archangel responded confidently.

"I sorta figured that. But why?" the navy-eyed human asked.

"I was tired of it all. I knew if I stuck around much longer, you'd drag me into the apocalypse stuff. It was more enjoyable to watch from the side-lines."

"But how could you do that? How could you bail when people _needed_ you?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"I don't think I'm the only one here guilty of that," the angel rebutted.

Sam looked away. That genuinely hurt him. He left when Dean and Dad were still hunting to go off to college. He left to work with a demon when Dean told him not to. He left to work with his grandfather when Dean thought that he was dead. He left when Dean was stuck in purgatory. He couldn't blame Gabriel of doing the same.

He thought quietly. What if this helped Dean? He knew that Castiel was more than a friend to Dean. According to Dean, he would have rather died than left Castiel to rot in purgatory. That isn't a normal "friendship" and he knew that. That was family. But not the normal kind of family. They gazed into each other's eyes for extended amounts of time. As Cas had said himself, he and Dean share a more "profound" bond. Yet, did that give them the permission to step in?

Sam stood in his place, squinting up to the night sky. "Gabriel, I appreciate your efforts to help them out, but what gives us the right to manipulate them? To toy with destiny?" he enquired, thoughtfully.

"A Winchester questioning destiny? You guys stopped the apocalypse! You sent Lucifer back to the cage. You went to hell and back. Don't give me that 'destiny' bullshit," the angel countered with a knowing smirk.

"Still, don't you think that's a little low? Tricking them?" Sam questioned, turning his head downward towards Gabriel, wrinkling his forehead.

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" the shorter man sassed, raising his eyebrows. "Look, I've done a lot worse for a lot less. You of all people should know that. I want to do something good this time. And I will, with or without you, but I really would like your cooperation."

"Why? Why me? Why do I matter in any of this?" Sam asked, shaking his head in uncertainty.

"They trust you! Even if I were to reveal myself, they wouldn't just _let_ me tamper with them. We have to do it gradually. If you push them a little while I mix things up, they might ease into it," Gabriel answered.

"And what if they don't?" the hunter hypothesised.

"Then they don't! Simple as that!"

"Really? Would you really give up? If, despite all odds, they discover that all they have is a really close friendship with no romantic connections whatsoever?" Sam considered.

"Yes, if hell freezes over, I'll give up," sarcastically said Gabriel in a nonchalant manner.

"I mean it," the taller male stated with a serious tone.

"Alright, alright," the angel complied with a flail of his hands, "I'll let it go then. But it's worth a shot." Gabriel gave a teasing eyebrow raise and wink to the hunter.

"Still, I don't know about this," Sam speculated, shaking his large head in doubt.

"Sammy, just think of it! It'd be like writing your own romance story, carefully designing a savoury plot with all the conflict and resolution you can create. But in real life! With our two favourite characters! Imagine how entertaining it'd be. How much fun it'd be!" the archangel enthusiastically exclaimed.

The hunter argued, "They're more than characters in a work of fiction. They're _real_ people, Gabriel. With _real_ feelings and _real _thoughts. We can't control their choices. We can't play them like puppets."

"Don't think of it like that! Think of it as… guiding them. We're giving them the resources they need to realise the underlying tension between them. We're _helping_ them, if anything. What could go wrong?"

"How about they notice we're plotting to make them _gay lovers_?" Sam said, spitting out his last words.

"They won't notice anything! At least, not if you're doing it _right_," the angel answered.

Sam hesitated to respond, taking time to think through what Gabriel had just said to him. He knew that his older brother would never open up to Castiel on his own, but he also knew that if Dean were to find out about their scheme, he wouldn't speak to him for weeks, and that wouldn't even be the worst of it. He would try extra hard to deny any non-heterosexual thoughts or remarks from or about him, which could include pushing Castiel away, and Cas didn't deserve that. Dean would be particularly conscious of his actions toward the blue-eyed angel, and instead of getting them closer, he would have been putting barriers between them.

He also didn't think that it was his place to take care of Dean's love life. That was something private. He shouldn't manipulate his brother to fall for anyone, especially Castiel. Whoever a person loved was their decision, their business. Not their sibling's.

"I just don't know. This is wrong. It feels wrong. It feels dirty. Immoral," Sam worried aloud.

"Well, the clock is ticking! I gotta have a solid answer tonight. Or you ain't allowed back in," Gabriel attempted to cajole.

Sam stood there in the dark breeze, looking up at the stars. He now knew that this was definitely the works of Gabriel. Even though he could be a pain in the ass, he really did possess the potential to create extraordinarily beautiful sights. He knew that the extra verve in the air was from him. The larger than normal moon was from him. The sense of vigour was from him. Vigour _was_ Gabriel.

"Fine, I've made my decision," he averred.

Then Gabriel asked the most important question of their lives:

"Well, you in or you out?"

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**What did you think? What do you think Sam will say? What do you think is going to happen? Did you like it? Could I do better? Every single word of advice you have makes me better, so please, if you have anything, ideas, suggestions, constructive criticism, let me know. I enjoy hearing from my readers! Like I said earlier, chapter four may take a while, because first of all, I'm getting miserable headaches and mouth pains, and secondly, I'm having trouble figuring out some scenes for this story. I know the plot and what is to happen, but it's the little moments in between I'm struggling with, so if anyone is interested in helping me out, PM me maybe? :/ Well, that's all for now. Keep an eye out for Chapter Four. Thank you &amp; stay awesome! :D**


	4. Theories and Theatrics

**I understand it's been like 5000 years since I've updated, but with school, and an opera, and a show, and depression, and trying to be social, it's difficult to keep up these things. I will try to work on this stuff more, but I can't make promises. My birthday is coming up in two days and I have three performances coming up along with finals and stuff. But, I managed to spit out this chapter that I've been working on since July. Your reviews inspired me to write again. Keep them coming! I appreciate them all. Well, here it is. Enjoy!**

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"I feel like an idiot," he mumbled.

Sam listened to Gabriel's instructions. The brothers had switched towns with Castiel that morning in search for a new job. They didn't have much luck in finding any odd paranormal signs, so while on their search for a new case, they rested in a small town in Indiana. Gabriel had told him that wherever he was, to step outside of the motel room at midnight, and he would come and find him.

So, he stepped outside of their room, shut the door and faced forward. There was nothing but the cold, empty parking lot to be seen. There was a small breeze coming from the west and it gave a faint chill up the hunter's spine. The moon was enlarged, a sign that his new partner in crime was near.

"Looking for me?" he heard from behind him.

Sam turned around and he realised that he was no longer in front of the cheap motel, but somewhere entirely different. Around him was a beautiful, extravagant theatre. He was standing in the second row, where next to him stood cushioned red theatre seats with polished mahogany for armrests. The stage was gigantic, in width, length, and height. Enclosing the edge of the stage, ornamental wood carvings sprouted out in seemingly endless spirals. Above his head dangled elegant chandeliers hanging from the middle of the decorative circles painted across the ceiling. He turned back around to find thousands of ruby-coloured seats defined by hundreds of rows. Luxurious lights suspended from the top, illuminating the whole arena. Nearing the ceiling, a large, ornate balcony towered over the back seats. Everywhere he looked, gorgeous paintings and engravings coated the walls. He rotated again to face the grand stage. It was unlike any theatre he had ever seen before.

"Ah, you like the view, don't you?" the voice spoke from his left.

He directed his eyes to the side to see none other than the archangel himself. "This place is amazing," Sam said in awe. "Where are we?"

"Oh, we're just in one of the many places I go to in my spare time. I travel around a lot, and every now and then, I come across a place I really like," Gabriel stated, "and I claim it."

"Claim it?" Sam asked with concern.

"Oh, they found _tons_ of asbestos in the building. They shut it down permanently, and now it's mine," the angel bragged.

"Asbestos? Did you take into consideration that I'm _human_ and vulnerable to disease?" the taller man asked in a panic.

"Oh, Sammy, don't worry. It's all gone now. And now, I get to keep it all for myself."

"Why are we here?" he enquired. He was going to ask why he would hide such a beautiful hall from the public, but he knew it was Gabriel, and figured it'd be pointless in asking.

"This is where the action is going to happen. Or the pre-action, I should say," he said with a mischievous smile in the human's direction.

"What?" Sam muttered with confusion.

"This is where we write the script. This is where we plan what happens. You see that stage?" Gabriel asked the hunter.

"Yeah," he replied while nodding his head.

"Well, that is where we get to see how this plays out. With an unlimited amount of props and two wonderful actors!"

"Actors?" Sam questioned curiously. Yet, right away, he saw what the archangel meant.

There were two people on the stage, replicas of Dean and Castiel. They wore the same clothes, Cas in his trenchcoat and suit, and Dean in a T-shirt, green jacket, and jeans. They did nothing but stand straight with a blank expression on their faces. They were placed on opposite sides; Dean was on stage right and Cas was on stage left.

"What the hell? That isn't them, is it?" Sam asked.

"Oh no, of course not! No, I just made them up now. Impressive, eh?" he gloated.

Sam ignored the trickster's comment, saying, "So, we're what in all of this? The writers? The directors?"

"Yes! And don't forget producers, special effects coordinators, prop masters, and my personal favourite, make-up artists," he bragged with a cheeky grin.

"And this doesn't feel _wrong_ to you? At all?" Sam asked. He was beginning to doubt his decision. Pulling a few strings was one thing, but _scripting_ their lives? He didn't know that Gabriel meant it that literally when he said they'd be "writing his own romance story". The whole thing just started to make him uneasy.

"No?" Gabriel confoundedly answered.

"Look, Sam," he said, "I know you think that we're taking their free will away, but we're not. They choose what they do. They choose what they say. We're just throwing them some lemons, and whether they make lemonade or not is up to them."

"But we're- we're-" he stuttered, searching for the right word, "playing God."

"So what?" Gabriel asked with an underlying bitterness. "Ya know what, if God won't even play God, who's to say that we shouldn't? Someone's got to do it!" he spat with a mixture of anger and enthusiasm.

Sam hesitantly responded, attempting to sound calm, "Why should it be _us_, though? Why should we take on the responsibility of playing matchmaker?"

"Because no one else can. No one else _will_. But we can. We will," Gabriel declared.

"Don't cherubs do that? Establish who loves who?" Sam enquired, trying to reason out Gabriel's justification.

"Cherubs are just bitches to a higher power. Last time I checked, I'm the highest power left standing. The last archangel. Mickey and Luci are in the cage and Raphael is dead, so guess what? I make the rules. I'm gonna let heaven do whatever it will, but if I want something, I get it. Understood?" Gabriel hissed, squinting his eyes and tightening his arms.

Sam was shocked. He didn't realise how much this meant to Gabriel. He certainly didn't expect him to get worked up. He's full of fun and games and pranks, not rage.

"Whoa, okay. I'm sorry," Sam uttered, hardly able to say anything.

"So where do you want to begin?" the celestial being said buoyantly, brushing off his prior behaviour.

"I'm still confused. How do we go about this?" the hunter asked.

"Have a seat. I'll show you," the angel mandated.

Sam sat in the seat behind him and Gabriel sat next to him. With a few swipes of the hand, props and boards were aligned to look something like the inside of the motel they were staying at. The Dean figure was seen taking in a towel into the bathroom. Castiel was sitting on the couch, watching the tiny television.

"Now, Sam, here's where we come in! Remember that towel he brought in with him?" Gabriel asked Sam, who silently nodded his head. "Well, that towel isn't there anymore! And neither are the clothes he wore in there."

Sam raised an eyebrow at him, but Gabriel then spoke, "Let's fast forward about fifteen minutes."

Sure enough, he heard his brother (or the "actor" who portrayed him) knocking on the door and calling out for Cas. Castiel walked over to the door, listened to Dean, and proceeded to look around the motel room for something. He told Dean that he couldn't find any.

Dean shouted, "Well, then look away. I need to grab my clothes."

Castiel complied and moved out of the way. Dean exited the restroom, shielding his lower area with one hand, and searching for underwear with the other.

"How about we take his undies away too?" Gabriel commented.

On the stage, the fake-Dean continued to scavenge for his under garments, but after a few moments, Castiel turned to him and said, "Did you check where you previously placed your towel?"

"Cas, turn around!" Dean exclaimed, hurrying to cover himself with both hands. "And yes, I checked where I put 'em!" he spat with exasperation.

"Dean, I do not understand," Castiel stated blandly, ignoring Dean's command. "If you brought the towel in, shouldn't it be there?"

"Yes, it should! That's sort of why I'm confused, Cas," Dean sarcastically responded. He then added, "And turn around! I'm not exactly decent, in case you haven't been able to tell!"

Castiel complied and turned around from the stage-Dean. "Fine, but I don't understand why it's a big issue. It's just human anatomy, nothing I haven't encountered before."

"Because, it is, Cas! Now help me find something!" Dean frantically yelled.

"How am I supposed to assist you when I cannot move my position?" the faux angel enquired monotonously.

"I don't know! Figure it out! You're an angel, right?" Dean exclaimed with frustration.

Gabriel chimed in as Sam watched the "performance" and said, "So, Samsquatch, what are you thinking of it so far?"

He looked away from the stage into Gabriel's eyes and retorted, "_This_ is the best you got?"

Gabriel looked slightly offended, but challenged, as if he wanted to prove something. "What are you tryna say?" he asked.

"It's just… it feels too staged. I don't think they'd react this way. And for not wanting to make your existence obvious, this is a poor way to go about it," Sam elaborated.

"Yeah, well what do you suggest I do?" Gabriel queried Sam, raising his eyebrows.

Sam was trying to think of how to explain his thoughts toward the "plan". He wanted to be as concise as he could. "How about we throw them just one variable change?" he suggested. He saw that Gabriel began to open his mouth with a defensive stance, so the human added, "One that doesn't defy the laws of physics, might I add. From there, we can see what they do naturally."

"Like what? Rule bending is what I'm best at! Aliens, never-ending Tuesdays, TV Land… You name it, I'm there to make it happen," the archangel questioned.

"Let me put it this way," Sam said, "I know my brother. If he figures out what you're trying to do, he will do the exact opposite. Do you remember that time you put us in TV Land so you could teach us to 'play our roles' in the apocalypse?"

"I can vaguely recall," Gabriel stated, nodding his head.

"Well, Dean never 'played his part'. At least not how you wanted him to. He didn't learn. He didn't listen. He did the opposite," the taller man explained. "If he knows we're trying to set him up with Cas, he will do everything he can _not_ to fall under the trap."

"Hmm," Gabriel hawed. "Good observation, kiddo," Gabriel said, nudging Sam with his elbow. He had a large, mischievous grin on his face shortly after Sam's commentary.

"Now, I'm not saying I condone this 'matchmaking' plan, but if you wanna get it right," he paused and exhaled, "that's how you do it." Sam was uncertain of how to feel about this. Toying with their brothers' emotions wasn't something he wanted to do, but he wanted to help them see a new perspective.

"Really?" Gabriel said with smirk, "Because if you were actually opposed to this, you would have left by now."

Sam knew he made a point. If he were truly against the situation, he would have done something about it. Deep down, he wanted this. He wanted to see how this would end. And he wanted something exciting. Of course, figuring out this situation with Kevin and Crowley was enough adventure for him, but it was time he did something _fun_ where no one died or got their fingers chopped off.

"Well, you _did_ tell me that you would do this with or without me," Sam stated. This was true, as Gabriel had told him that if he didn't want to be a part of the scheme, he'd do it on his own. That seemed like a decent enough excuse to venture into this chaos Gabriel wanted to start. He continued, "Might as well make sure you get it right."

"True, true. That _is _why I asked for your help. You know your brother better than I do. Your insight could be helpful," Gabriel said, winking at Sam once he finished his last sentence. This made Sam blush a bit, and he wasn't sure why.

For a brief moment, there was a stillness that occupied the time and space between them. A sound-filled silence that contained no remarks, but was filled with such emotion and sensation that language itself would betray if any word had been uttered. Sam felt his heart stop for a spilt-second as he looked down into the eyes of the angel beside him. It was a feeling that only Gabriel could produce. The excitement that flushed through him was impossible outside of his presence.

"So," the archangel resumed, breaking the void amidst them, "any ideas?"

Sam had been so out of focus, he almost didn't register that Gabriel had spoken at all. However, his mind managed to compose itself, and he formed a reply. "Um… just small ones. Nothing big, but I guess that's what we're going for, isn't it?"

He felt very distant for some reason. Perhaps he didn't want to acknowledge that he and Gabriel did what he always calls out Dean and Castiel on doing. They were staring, even if it was only for an instant.

"You know him best. I can roll with whatever you got in mind," Gabriel responded. "How about we pick this up tomorrow? I've got places to be, and I think you do, too. You've been gone for an hour."

Sam checked his watch. Was it really 1:15? Had over an hour already passed? "Wow, you're right. I better get back. They're probably wondering where I've been," he said, reluctant to leave, but relieved to remove himself from the awkward aura between them.

"Adiós, Samsquatch," Gabe teased before snapping his fingers and leaving Sam in front of the motel door and disappearing.

Sam exhaled, trying to remember everything that had just happened. He hoped he could figure out a better plan than the one he had for tomorrow, because his idea was small and meaningless. He needed to inspire Gabriel, not bore him.

He opened the door to the motel as quietly as he could and expected Dean and Cas to come rushing towards him asking questions. Instead, they were both passed out on the couch together with the TV still playing. Sam wasn't quite sure of why Cas was sleeping, seeing as he was an angel who didn't require most human necessities. However, he wasn't one to argue. He took a picture on his phone to show Gabriel during their next encounter. He'd certainly find it amusing.

Sam tip-toed to his bed, as to not wake either of them up, without finding the need to shut off the TV. It could ruin their moment, even though neither of the two were consciously aware of their positions.

Sam slept very well that night, as did Castiel and Dean. It was a peaceful night.

* * *

**What'd ya think? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Tell me! I'll try my best to update soon, but that may be like a month or two. Yet, the more feedback I get, the more likely I'll get done quicker! So, send me everything! Critique, compliments, theories (seriously... I know where this story is going but your ideas can only improve it!), anything. Thank you for reading and stay awesome! :D**


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